“He switched sides to the Russian Federation in 2014”: Former Ukrainian brigade commander Storozhenko is leading the Russian offensive on Kupyansk

The Russian troops’ offensive on Kupyansk is being coordinated by former Ukrainian officer Serhiy Storozhenko, who betrayed his oath and defected to the occupiers in 2014. He personally reports to the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, and commands the units conducting active combat operations in the Kharkiv region.

This is reported by BBC News Ukraine .

According to journalists, a key role in the current attacks by the Russian army against Kupyansk is played by Serhiy Storozhenko, a native of the Kharkiv region and a former Ukrainian military man who once headed the 36th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy.

Today he is a lieutenant general in the Russian armed forces and commands the 6th Army, which is unsuccessfully trying to advance in the Kupyansk direction.

During the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Storozhenko did not remain faithful to his oath. A week after the so-called “referendum,” he received a Russian passport and later headed the 126th Coast Guard Brigade created by the occupiers. Although the former officer himself stated that he had “submitted his resignation,” witnesses confirm the opposite: Storozhenko actively agitated the Ukrainian military to surrender, hand over their weapons, and side with the Russians.

After the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Storozhenko headed the headquarters of the 35th Russian Army, which operated in the Kharkiv region. Under his command, this army suffered a crushing defeat at Izyum, but he avoided responsibility. Moreover, in 2023, Vladimir Putin promoted him to lieutenant general and entrusted him with command of the 6th Army. It is this army that is currently trying to attack Kupyansk.

In addition to failures in combat, Storozhenko is also involved in war crimes: in particular, he gave orders for missile strikes on civilian objects in Sumy.

Former representative of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Crimea and military expert Vladislav Seleznyov, who was personally acquainted with Storozhenko, explained that he made a choice in favor of betrayal for personal gain.

“I think in 2014 he was made an offer that he couldn’t refuse… He was a good officer and cared about his reputation, but he didn’t pass the key test, when life shows who is who,” Seleznev emphasized.

The day before, the commander of the 429th separate Achilles unmanned systems regiment, Major Yuriy Fedorenko, reported that fierce fighting is ongoing in Kupyansk, Kharkiv region, in particular on the right bank of the city , where Ukrainian forces are knocking out saboteurs who were trying to penetrate the city through gas pipes.

By the way, on September 17, Russian occupation troops made a partial advance in the Kupyansk area of the Kharkiv region and near Novoivanivka in the Zaporizhia direction.

We remind you thatin the city of Kupyansk, Kharkiv region, more than 95% of buildings have been destroyed or damaged , and it is impossible to deliver humanitarian aid there due to the activity of Russian drones.

As reported, the Russians have developed a logistical route through the gas pipe, with which they will overcome Oskil and enter Kupyansk.

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